Rafael Nadal crashed out in the first round of the Aegon Championships today despite the support of Jose Mourinho.

The Spaniard lost 3-6 7-6 4-6 to Ukraine's Alexandr Dolgopolov and will now not play singles again until Wimbledon.

And his earnings of £7,930 will do little to offset his tax bill for playing back at Queen's Club for the first time since 2011.

Nadal has slipped down to world No 10 after a troubled last year and lost only his second ever match at the French Open when he was defeated by Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals. But he showed glimpses of his old form by winning the Mercedes Cup on grass in Stuttgart last week and came to West London seeking more competitive matches.

Anyone for tennis? Mourinho enjoyed a day at Queen's Club (Image: Getty)

But Dolgopolov, who has never got past the third round at Wimbledon, looked sharper and quicker on grass and won in two hours and 13 minutes.

The Ukrainian No 1 said: "It's as good as I've played on grass. I had a good time last season so I was prepared for the match. I like to frustrate my opponents, make it uncomfortable for them."

Former Real Madrid boss Mourinho was sat behind Nadal's box where ex-King Juan Carlos of Spain joined Toni Nadal. The Chelsea manager said: "I'm Rafa's friend so I have to say I'm not happy with the match. But I'm happy with the Rafa I saw."

Nadal is scheduled to play later today in the doubles along with his fellow Spaniard Marc Lopez against Milos Raonic and Edouard Roger-Vasselin.